C BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
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A simmering dispute between an Enugu-based trader, Mr. Sunday Udeh of Blessed Sunny Electrical, and his former apprentice from Ebonyi state, Mr. Michael Nwauba, has sparked public attention after allegations of unpaid settlement and theft surfaced.
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Michael had in a viral video accused his former boss of refusing to settle him among other sundry allegations.
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But reacting in an interview with newsmen before the Blessed Sacrament at the Holy Trinity Catholic, Independence Layout, Enugu, Mr. Udeh said he chose to clear the air in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary to demonstrate his innocence.
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He dismissed Michael’s claims that he served under him for ten years without settlement, describing the accusations as “false, diversionary, and sentimental.”
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According to Udeh, Michael was introduced to him by his elder brother, then an apprentice at Gabby Pharmacy in Enugu.
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He initially resisted taking in another boy after a bitter experience with a previous trainee who allegedly stole from him.
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However, Michael reportedly insisted on pledging loyalty, vowing before Rev. Fr. Okunerere in Nsukka never to steal from his master until the agreed service years elapsed.
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“I made it clear to his brother that if Mike stole from me, I would send him home. They all agreed. He eventually stayed eight years and six months, not ten years as he claims. I also did not take him to any shrine for oath taking as he claimed but at Rev. Fr. Okunerere in Nsukka,” Udeh explained.
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The trader alleged that he withheld Michael’s settlement after discovering that he had a hand in a burglary at his shop.
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“We recovered goods worth N1.8 million within two days. The suspect caught with the goods confessed that Mike asked him to disappear and never return,” he said, adding that the market union intervened in the matter.
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On the accusation that he barred his apprentices from attending church, Udeh admitted he restricted them after uncovering what he called “reckless hotel escapades” disguised as worship.
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“Each time they said they were going to church, I discovered through their phones that they went to hotels like Golden Royale and Hardbreak for drinking binges,” he alleged.
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Michael also accused Udeh of making disparaging remarks against the people of Ebonyi State, but the trader dismissed the claim as a ploy to whip up ethnic sentiments.
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“I couldn’t have said that even in my dream. My younger brother’s wife is from Ebonyi, and I have many friends from there who can attest to my goodwill. Igbo is one,” he maintained.
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Perhaps the most startling revelation in the controversy is Udeh’s claim that investigators discovered three bank accounts operated by Michael while he was still serving.
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“One account alone had N5.8 million. He told his brother that the money came from tips given by customers. Have you ever seen where a serving apprentice runs multiple bank accounts?” he asked.
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The apprentice-master row, now before police and market authorities, has divided opinion among traders and residents in Enugu.
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While some insist that young apprentices deserve fair treatment and settlement after years of service, others believe that loyalty and accountability remain key in the traditional Igbo apprenticeship system.
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As the matter unfolds, traders and market leaders are watching closely, aware that the case could spark broader conversations about reforming the time-honoured “nwa boy” system that has produced many successful Igbo entrepreneurs but is increasingly being tested by modern realities.
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